Car.



r.- E.- STEVENS.

CAR. APPLICATION` FILED OCT. l5. |913.

- -latemed sept. 5,1916.

IMU

INVE`NTOR sans can.

Application sled october is,

To all whom z'tmay concern l Be it known that I, IRA E. STEvENs, reside ing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, citizen of. the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Cars, of which improvements the followingis a specification.

he invention described herein relates to certain improvements in means forvattaching wheels to cars, the improvement being especially applicable to mining cars, and has for its object a construction wherein the bearings for the axles are rigidly tied together.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming av part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view' partly in section and partly in elevation of a car having my improvement applied thereto, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the car inverted.

In order that a car may move with a minimum resistance along rails it isnecessary that the wheel axles should be parallel with each other and at right angles to thedireotion of movement. Great difficulty has been experienced in maintaining these relations in mining cars by reason of the short bearings which the bolts employed for securing the axle bearings in position have in the comparatively thin planks forming the bottom of the car, and also by reason of the bolt holes in the planks becoming enlarged.

In the practice of my invention the body of the car is constructed in the, usual or any suitable manner known inthe art. 0n the bottom of the car is arranged a metal plate l of substantial thickness havinga length somewhat greater than the desired distance between axles and a wwidth approximately equal to the desired spacing of the bearings for each axle. This plate may be secured to the bottom planks of the car in anysuitable manner, but preferably by means of bolts 2, whereby the bearings 3 for the'axles are secured in positiom- As will be seen by reference to'Fig. l, the bearings' are preferably made in sections, which are held together by the bolts 2. As the bolts for all the bearings pass through the plate l the latter will maintain the axles parallel and the bearings for each axle in the desired relation.

As shown in the drawings it is preferred Specification of Letters Patent. l I

i913. serial No. 795,341.

" Patented sept. 5, 1ero.y

to turn flanges 4 on the ends ofrthey-plate thereby providing stopswhich will prevent any lateral/separation of the axles. The

bearings for one axle are preferablyheld as against4 movement toward those of the other f axle by shoulders or abutments 5 on the;

plate, said shoulders or Aabutinents being l preferably formed by metal straps riveted` 'to the plate inside thebearings and *their ends extending up along both 4sides ofthe il' Cal'.

It is characteristic ofV my improvement that any thrust or'stra'ins applied. to any of the Wheels is transmitted to and sustained by all the bearings and the bolts whereby they are attached to the car body and hence'y proper p each bearing will be maintained in relation to all the other bearings. I claim herein as my invention:

therewith a pair of axles, bearings for said axles, and a metal plate connected to each of the bearings. v j

2. A car body having in combination therewith a pair of axles, bearings forsaid axles, a metal plate interposed between the bearings to the-car. i l

3. A car body having in combination bearings and the bottom of the car, and boltsY passing through the plate 4for securing the therewith a pair of axles, a plate adapted' to lbe secured to the car body and providedwith shoulders or abutments extending transf versely of the car, and bearings for the axles arranged between adjacent abutments.

y 4. A car body having incombinationv therewith a pair of axles, a plate having at l its ends abutments formed integral with the plate, bearings for the axles seated against said abutments, and straps extending across the plate and bearing against the inner sides of the axle bearings. v Y

5. In a running gear for cars,thecomb1na tion with the bottom of a car, of a metal plate attached thereto, journal boxes for the axles of the car whichA are connected tothe corners of said plate which holds the axles in parallelism, and means to reinforce said- 6. In a running gear for mine ears, the y' combination with the bottom of a car, oa flexible metal plate' attached to the underside thereof, journal boxes for the axles -of ,the car which are connected near the ends o f 'is y l. A car body having in combinationl said plate \\l1icl1 l1olds the axles parallel@` Ism, tlie axles belng spaced from said plate",

my hand.

n Y 1,196,895 i to attach journal boxes of both car axles to said plate near its ends, the axles being spaced from the plate, and means to reinforce the plate transversely .adjacent to each axle, substantially as described.-

In testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set c IRA E. STEVENS.

Witnesses ALICE A. TR'ILL,

F. B. JOYCE. 

